Fireflies
by Beauty in the Night
Summary: "Daryl Dixon had decided that Beth was going to be the death of him. Plain and simple. It wasn't going to be a walker bite that brought him down, or cannibalistic crazies. No. It was going to be from heart failure due from a little blonde ponytail." [One-Shot]


Daryl Dixon had decided that Beth was going to be the death of him. Plain and simple. It wasn't going to be a walker bite that brought him down, or cannibalistic crazies. No. It was going to be from heart failure due from a little blonde ponytail. She just was lost in her own world of rainbows and fairytales, and didn't seem to grasp the severity of the world they now lived in. He thought that after they reunited, and the group was whole again, that she would have been snapped out of her fantasy world. But it seemed as if her experiences at the hospital had reinforced her delusions.

According to Beth, she now knew the importance of some things, though. Of fighting. But not against the walkers. Not against the crazy people who were still living that still wanted to kill them. No, fighting against the darkness. She didn't want anyone of their group to succumb to the darkness that so many living humans gave into. Every time she smiled, which was often, she said that the tug on her newly formed scar reinforced her _purpose_.

Which wasn't a bad thing to have, a purpose. Daryl admired that in her, and her strength to still see the good in everything and everyone. It gave him hope. But damn her if she didn't also give him the greatest anxiety ever, too.

A beautiful sunrise would drag her out of camp early in the morning, just to get a better vantage point to view it. Flowers that still managed to bloom in the dreary doom of the world that is now would make her stop to literally smell them. How fucking cliché was that? But that was Beth. It was so her that it actually couldn't be cliché. It was right. Or tonight, a field of fireflies had her beaming, creating her own kind of light to contribute to the glow of the field.

It was a beautiful night, Daryl as human enough to admit that. Every star was out, and twinkling if full force. The field they camped in had enough trees to provide cover, but was open enough to view the surviving wild life, and a wonderful view up into the sky. The temperature was just right. Fall was coming, and the intense heat of the Georgian days were coming to a close, and the cooler nights were here to stay. After a long day walking and kill the undead walkers, this was the kind of day the mismatch group needed. A small fire was enough to warm their meager supper. Everyone was spread out, relaxing, while Michonne took watch. Before, as the sun was setting, a few fireflies had started to flash their tails. Daryl had groaned at this, knowing he would need to keep a good eye on his little dreamer.

He failed, as he always does with her. He could never watch over her well enough to know where she was, or even protect her. He hated it. He loved it. While he would love nothing more than to glue her to his side for the rest of their lives, no matter how long or short that would be, he knew she was fiercely independent, and to the surprise of the rest of the group, more than capable at defending herself. She didn't need his constant protection. He needed hers.

And right now, she was missing. All he had done was bowed his head for a brief minute to clean one of his arrows that was bothering him, and when he looked up, she was missing from her perch by Maggie. Daryl's heart stopped, for what could have been the seventh time that day, all because of Beth. This time, however, he had a guess at what had drawn her away from the safety of the camp. Those damn fireflies.

Sure enough, in the middle of the field he found her laying on her back, just staring around her in a look that could be described as absolute wonder and…_peace_. She had to be the only one who still had any. That wasn't to say she didn't have her share of night terrors, or even worries of her own, but her very Beth essence seemed to drive them from her mind the moment something beautiful came around. It was so admirable. Everything about her was. While some would think that these characteristics would make it hard for her to live in this harsh world, it was actually what enabled her to survive. Nothing could bring her down for long.

As Daryl stared at her, laying in the tall grass, with that _smile_, and the fireflies blinking around her body, he felt his heart start again, and then beat a little faster than normal. If it was the stopping of his heart that killed him, it would be it beating right out of his chest. That was what she did to him. It was horrible. It was amazing.

"Are you going to join me, or continue lurking in the shadows Mr. Dixon?"

That was another one of her amazing abilities. She knew when he was around. It was instinctual, she just knew. He had to train himself for years in the woods to gain his skill of sensing the changes in air and sound that signal another presence. But Beth, she didn't even try. He lowered himself to sit beside her, hand never leaving the knife on his belt.

"Isn't it just the most beautiful night you have seen?"

It was almost a sigh. Daryl just grunted his reply. It was, he had to agree. But not because of the stars or the fireflies. Not even the cool, refreshing temperatures or the comfort of a fire. No, it was beautiful because Beth was with him, with the group. She was safe, and lighting his life once again. She might have believed that darkness could not touch their group, she had such faith in that. But she was wrong. The darkness had gripped him with an unbreakable grip when she was away from him.

If someone were to ask Daryl, the only reason their group was still on the side of good, light, humanity, was because of Beth, Judith, and Carl. Beth _was_ the light. It radiated from her very core. She influenced the group to continue her lead in staying light and in having hope. Judith was a light in herself, as well. But she influenced people differently. She was someone to protect. She was_ innocence _to protect and preserve. The hope she gave was to continue her light and goodness and to not let the bitter world snuff it out. Carl was a tricky one to explain. The darkness battled within in, and for his age and the trauma he went through, it was a wakeup call to the group. Daryl guessed that it was through Carl's loss of innocence that Judith's was so important. That her childhood was important.

But it always came back to Beth in Daryl's mind. Beth. Beth. _Beth. _Without her, he couldn't go on. The darkness won. He was a shell of man until she came crashing back into his life, rendering him almost blind. He almost loved her just for that.

Love. Yes, he loved Beth. He was sure of that now. Every single thing she did reaffirmed that. It only saddened Daryl that it took him so long to realize that love is what he felt. And it wasn't a raunchy kind of love, either. It wasn't a love with the only goal was to procreate. No, he loved her very _soul._ It was a very pure love, not tarnished by anything. Daryl had never loved anyone the way he loved Beth. The love he had for Merle was a twisted and unhealthy love, and that was the only love he experienced. But Beth inspired the kind of pure, untainted love that a child would have. Absolute. Their relationship was built on that. On pureness and goodness and it was _beautiful_. Every touch, every glance was meaningful.

And they haven't even kissed yet.

The pure spirituality of their relationship was refreshing. It gave others hope just by witnessing it. And as Daryl sat in the field surrounded by fireflies and the very lightness of Beth, the others caught another glimpse of hope. The peace they found with each other, the comfort, the bond was more than anyone could even dream of before the world got turned upside down. And to find it in a world as ruined as this, it was a miracle in and of itself.

Slowly, Daryl's hand loosened from the knife, and his face lost the rigid scowl. By the glow of the fireflies, he leaned down to give Beth a kiss. One simply on the forehead, but perfect in every sense. Beth might be the death of him, but it was a death he would happily welcome.


End file.
